I have been listening to Stevie Wonder since I was three years old, and it has touched my soul in a way no other music has. This is the type of music that forces you to get up and dance, tugs at all of your emotions, and causes you to experience the full song in four dimesions. One of Wonder’s songs, “Higher Ground,” is especially poetic. In this song, he captures different points of view from around the world in under four minutes. Wonder begins his song by stating,
People keep on learnin’
Soldiers keep on warnin’
World keep on turnin’
‘Cause it won’t be too long”
Stevie Wonder places his readers in the minds of contrasting groups by broadening our experience of the literature. He condenses words to create a meaningful whole of under five words per subject to highlight the aspects of each category that add to his theme that the world is out of our control; although people try to create a sense of power, nature is stronger than women and men. Wonder continues this pattern for another stanza:
Powers keep on lyin’, yeah
While your people keep on dyin’
World keep on turnin’
‘Cause it won’t be too long
A good poem does not state word for word what the poet is explaining, rather, the poet condenses what the speaker has experienced. By doing this, the lines become stronger and richer than facts or simple literature. This is exactly what Stevie Wonder nails in this song: he shares the reality of the world with his readers through a few powerful lines.
Wonder then goes on to explain how important it is for him to be the best person he can be. He states,
I’m so darn glad He let me try it again
‘Cause my last time on earth, I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin’
‘Til I reach my highest ground, whoo
Wonder shifts to speak from his perspective, condensing his words to share his point of view of the importance of growing to be a good person. This allows the reader to experience Wonder’s “higher ground” message, inspiring the reader to be the best person they can be.
Later in the song, Stevie Wonder uses the literary device of repetition to state “higher” thirteen times. By doing this, he further gets his message across. This is truly poetic, as Wonder does not blatantly state his theme, he solely needs one word to do this.
At the end of the song, Wonder offers his listeners advice, so that they can fully experience his message of growth and live it in the real world:
Don’t you let nobody take you to a low level
Just keep on and keep on until you reach higher ground
Don’t you let nobody take you to some low, low level
Just keep on and keep on until you reach higher ground
Wonder uses a few, simple words to inspire the reader, thus broadening his message and engraining it into the listener’s mind. This is a true poem. Not only does Wonder create a moving experience for his fans through lyrics, but the sound of his music draws the reader in further, and you can feel it in all four-dimensions.